Ferrocement structures and various methods for producing them have been known for a number of years. Such structures have found uses not only as enclosures for use as commercial buildings and housing but also as hulls for boats and ships. Widespread use of ferrocement buildings has been limited to a large extent by the relatively inconvenient methods for producing them which have thus far been developed.
Illustrative of known ferrocement structures and methods are the following: U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,432 to Harrington discloses an inflatable form which is covered with reinforcing means and then cement. The form is deflated and removed after the cement has set. U.S. Pat. No. 3,118,010 to Harrington discloses the use of an inflatable form which is designed so that concrete can be applied to the inside surface of the form after it has been inflated. U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,521 to Bini discloses the application of reinforcing means and concrete over a collapsed, sheet-like, expandable form which is then inflated and expanded (while the concrete is still unset) into a dome-like structure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,047 to Peeler, et al., describes modular frame sections made of rods and covered with an open mesh (apparently metal) fabric to which cement is applied. U.S. Pat. No. 3,506,746 to Fontaine describes the use of a deformable mesh which is supported at some points and hangs freely at other points to give an irregular shape. Cement is applied over the mesh, and the supports and mesh are removed after the cement sets. U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,077 to Rath describes the manufacture of ferrocement boat hulls by injecting a concrete mixture into a mold. Recent practical applications of ferrocement constructions are discussed in "The Dome Builder's Handbook" edited by John Prenis, Running Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1973, and "Ferrocement: Applications in Developing Countries", National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., February 1973.
The present invention provides a simple and straightforward method of providing a wide variety of ferrocement structures which does not require the use of molds, inflatable or removable forms, the need to apply unset cement to the under side of a supporting structure, or any of the other relatively awkward steps present in prior art methods.